


Song Remains the Same

by Ruuger



Category: Angel: the Series
Genre: Character Study, Episode: s05e22 Not Fade Away, Gen, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-05
Updated: 2010-04-05
Packaged: 2017-10-08 17:39:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/77929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruuger/pseuds/Ruuger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The morning after the fall, Spike wakes up with a song stuck in his head.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Song Remains the Same

**Author's Note:**

> Set right after "Not fade Away" and happily ignores the comics.

He'd had the song stuck in his head all day, the same three lines repeated over and over again in a continuous loop. It had been the first thing going through his mind when he woke up after the battle. The very first thing - before the what, the where, the when, and most importantly the why. Why was he still alive?

Spike shook his head, trying to dislodge the song. He had a vague memory of having heard the tune at the bar before the poetry slam and it had been playing in his head ever since. Demon bars weren't exactly known for keeping up with the trends and this one hadn't been an exception with its jukebox filled with one-hit wonders from the previous decade. He remembered the song from back when Dru had been ill, remembered a bar somewhere in Southern Germany, and the group of drunken British tourists who had invited him to join them on their pub crawl. In the end he had let them live - a moment of soft-heartedness caused by a shared commiseration for ManU losing to Arsenal - taking one of the waitresses to Dru in their stead.

The song in his head went on, but the street that he was walking on didn't. Swearing first under his breath and then out loud, Spike grabbed the twisted remains of a sports car and used the scorched metal skeleton as a ladder to climb atop the pile of rubble blocking the way. The ruins of what had once been downtown Los Angeles opened before him, the tall skyscrapers reduced to dust on the ground like crops fallen by a scythe. There was a deep boom from somewhere in the direction of Santa Monica, and when Spike strained his eyes, he could just about make out a cloud of dust from yet another collapsed building rising in the horizon.

A gust of wind raced down the street, almost knocking him off balance, and he leapt back down to the cover of the debris. The air in ground level on the other side of the blockade was thick with soot and dust, and Spike found himself thankful of the fact that he didn't need to breathe. Even with his enhanced senses, he could barely see two feet in front of him, and for a moment he contemplated on just climbing back to the other side and returning to the direction he'd come from. He could already feel the approach of morning, however, and although sun wasn't an issue with the heavy clouds blanketing the sky, he eventually decided to take the opportunity to rest while he waited for the dust to settle again. Clutching his sword to his chest, Spike wedged himself into the shelter of a fallen piece of mortar and closed his eyes.

\-----

He woke up with a gasp, instinctively lashing out with his sword as the dragon swooped towards him. The blade went through the dragon and glanced off the slab of concrete, sending waves of pain down his shoulder. Rubbing his arm Spike shook his head, and the dragon from his nightmare faded away. Taking support from his sword he pushed himself back to his feet. His muscles screamed in protest and he had to lean to the crumbled wall for a second until the worst feeling of weakness passed.

He wasn't sure how long it had been since he had last eaten, how long it had been since the battle and since it had all gone to hell. Literally. He'd been walking ever since, trudging his way across the city and killing demons that had been left behind from the battle. He hadn't seen any humans, though, not since he'd been separated from Charlie, and that terrified him far more than any big and nasty that he could still find lurking amongs the ruins.

He was still gathering his strength when there was a noise from beyond the ruins. It was a strange, chittering sound, like thousands of fingernails tapping a backboard, growing in intensity every second. Spike retreated until he was standing with his back to a wall again and then waited, not even daring to breathe. The sound became closer and then a rat appeared on top on the pile of rubble, then another, and another, until suddenly thousands of rodents were scaling the obstacle like a tidal wave of brown fur.

When the fleeing animals reached Spike he crouched down, grabbing one rat as went past him. The small creature squealed desperately as he held it, the small legs scratching at his palm in an attempt to escape. Bringing forth his game face he raised the animal to his mouth and then paused.

The rats were still flowing past him, bumping to his legs as they blindly rushed forward, but the wave was growing thinner even as he watched, until only few lone animals were left behind, darting back and forth before following their brethren down the street. Spike looked down at the rat in his hand. It had gone quiet now, and just stared at him, the beedy little eyes pleading for mercy. With a sigh Spike lowered his hand and dropped the rat on the ground. He wasn't quite that hungry yet.

The animal bolted into run as soon as its feet touched the concrete, and Spike watched it disappear to the direction the other rats had went. After a few minutes he followed it, quietly humming to himself.

_...I get knocked down, but I get up again. You're never going to keep me down. I get knocked down..._

**Author's Note:**

> The song is, of course, "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba.


End file.
